2d ago

How a Chinese battery factory sparked a political meltdown in a small Michigan town.

restofworld.org How a Chinese battery factory sparked a political meltdown in a small Michigan town

The ambitious executives at Gotion wanted to join America’s EV gold rush. Then came geopolitics.

The Gotion factory highlights the challenges Chinese companies face in the U.S., particularly during a climate of deep political polarization, nationalism, and growing suspicion toward China.
A grassroots “No Go” movement, fueled by fears of communism and environmental concerns, successfully stalled the project in Michigan, leading to the ouster of local officials who supported the factory.
The Gotion case shows the disconnect between national economic goals and local concerns, especially in communities wary of globalization and foreign investment.

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2d ago

How a Chinese battery factory sparked a political meltdown in a small Michigan town.

restofworld.org /2025/gotion-ev-battery-us-expansion-backlash-michigan/

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14 comments

He would have to eat part of a battery. It was, he figured, maybe the only way to solve his problem.
I thought this was metaphorical 🤦 My idiocratie radars are all saturating since the middle of the article.

"fears of communism"
There is an abstract beauty to this level of confident ignorance.
- The word long lost its real meaning. Someone should make a logic flow of how Americans label things and people between Communism nazi and antisemitism
  
  In my experience dealing with my deeply Republican parents it's something like:
  Chinese/China -> Communism
  Socialism/Socialist -> Communism
  Government Program -> Communism
  Anything that helps people who aren't rich -> Communism and/or Woke
  Anything the Democrats do -> Communism and/or Woke
  Any company that does something that isn't the most evil/amoral thing it could possibly have done (rarely happens) -> Communism and/or Woke
- To be fair, we have not seen one succesful example of communism. They all either quickly turn into authoritarism with little sprinkles of communism, or are not communism at all
  
  I was referring to the locals thinking a Chinese company had something to do with communism.
- How much do you wanna bet that the "environmental concerns" were concern trolling too, as with most nimbys?

I would be suspicious of any big company trying to set up a manufacturing facility. Jobs, yes. We need jobs. But the company is not here to provide jobs, they are here for cheap labor. They area here because they hope the desire for good jobs will blind people to the environmental risks of the project.
And I would expect a Chinese company operating in America to be more of a risk then any other combination I'm aware of. The American people don't trust regulations. The American government doesn't enforce regulations. And the Chinese culture, as far as I can tell, believes that regulations exist to be broken. Three groups that have no use for anything that will protect the environment is a recipe for toxic waste releases.

Thelen brought a jar of lithium iron phosphate to the podium. Grim-faced and wearing a navy blue suit, he poured out a small sample of the substance into a bottle for the audience to pass around. Then he began reading safety guidelines for handling it. “If you get it on the skin, wash it off,” he said. “If you get it in your mouth, drink plenty of water.”
Then, Thelen opened the jar again, this time dipping his index finger inside. “This is my finger,” he said, putting his finger in his mouth. A sucking sound was heard across the room. He raised his finger up high. “That’s how non-toxic this material is.”
The No Gos were not impressed.
Worked fine for Midgley, after all.
- I'm relented reminded of the joke about the medical students.

Stupid stupid people.

Did they try being a Korean battery company?
- Perhaps they could try giving an AR to every employee and putting up a banner that says "Murica! Patriot Freedom! Yee Haw!" on the entrance.
  Those words are like a magic spell that short-circuits idiots' brains.

14 comments